


there's no race to be run

by largepeachicedtea



Series: indelible darlings 'verse [1]
Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018), Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Bodyguard: Episode 1 Remix, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, David Budd is a Good Dad, Episode Related, Episode Remix, First Meetings, Gen, M/M, POV Alternating, Pre-Kingsman: The Secret Service, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-02
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-12-01 18:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20867171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/largepeachicedtea/pseuds/largepeachicedtea
Summary: David turned to the seats on the other side of the gangway, where a young man in a snapback and winged Adidas trainers was sitting hunched over his phone.“Excuse me,” He leaned towards the other man as he spoke, and watched as his head suddenly shot upwards. “You wouldn’t mind looking after my kids for a minute, would ye? I’ll be right back.”





	there's no race to be run

**Author's Note:**

> this is set in episode 1 of bodyguard (obviously), but pre-kingsman tss, so im completely fuckin with the timeline here. there is a reason for this, both characterisation-wise and plot-wise, which i will be happy to answer if you want to know, just shoot me an ask on tumblr (hcnkycat) or if ya like, in your comment here.  
this hasn't been beta-read, though i've checked through it the best i can, so any mistakes are my own!  
enjoy x

David took a slow glance out the window of the train, watching as the platform got closer and the few scatterings of people began crowding near the edge of it. His eyes flickered down to look at his two children, taking a small moment to watch them in their light slumbers before he reached over the table to the seat opposite his, where two child-sized coats lay. As he was picking up the deep navy one, he saw his small daughter rouse from her sleep at the minor disruption. 

“Cover yourself up Ella, we’re not there yet.” He said as he wrapped the coat he had in his hand around his son, who he was sat next to. “Good girl.”

He watched his oldest child pull her olive-coloured coat around herself, and turned to firmly tuck the jacket around Charlie, who had started to wake himself. 

“Shh, shh, shh. Not our stop yet, back to sleep.”

Once his kids were settled and as comfortable as they could be while asleep in train seats, he settled back into his own chair and took a glance out the window. His eyes caught a bundled-up man that looked to be having an intense phone call.

People watching wasn't a hobby for David. It was more of a survival instinct that had been beaten into him time and time again over the years, originating from his military training where if you didn’t stay aware of your surroundings and the people within them, you wouldn’t have a good time. Though it may not be the healthiest of habits, it was definitely useful, not just in his current job as an officer, but in a multitude of situations where civilians just weren’t acting the way a normal civilian should act.

Breaking a phone to pieces to throw in the rubbish bin was definitely _ not _ normal civilian behaviour.

David shuffled in his seat as the crowd outside started boarding and the suspicious man moved towards the carriages. He tried to keep his gaze on the man, but it was quickly lost as people blocked his eyeline, and the stranger had stepped out of sight. David turned to the inside of the train, keeping his eyes peeled to see if he could spot the man entering the carriage, but it was to no avail.

David clenched his jaw for a moment in silent contemplation. Sure, it wasn’t normal to throw a phone in the bin before boarding a train, but there was nothing overtly wrong about it either. Hell, the man might not have even gotten on board. He had left David’s eyesight before he could be certain. 

With a glance down at his two children and a quiet sigh, David decided to just drop it. He wasn’t on duty, he was just a father coming back from a trip to visit family with his two kids. And in that moment, that was all he needed to be.

As he felt the train shudder back into movement, David picked up his book and opened it to his marked page.

-

Underwhelmed and disappointed, David closed his book and set it on the plastic table in front of him. He hadn’t had high expectations in the first place considering it was just a random read he’d plucked off the shelf in WHSmith, but you would think having a _ New York Times Best Seller _ sticker on it would mean it was of decent quality.

He turned to look at his two sleeping kids when his attention was caught by an older lady who had stopped walking down the carriage to look over her shoulder at a passenger who was sitting by the luggage area. He didn’t seem to be doing anything suspicious to David, watching a video on a train was hardly a crime, but the woman seemed to be rather focused on him and that general area of the carriage. 

As the lady turned to slide open the door and move further through the train, David shuffled in his seat to get a better vantage point. He watched silently as she hovered around the blue toilet door the same way she had done to the man, before she raised her fist to knock. David’s brow furrowed as he struggled to listen to her talk over the clickety-clacking of the train tracks, but he was able to hear her ask her questions, and gain no reply from whoever must’ve been inside. As she suddenly began walking back towards and past David, alarm bells were going off in his head. There was generally no reason for any train conductor to act in such a suspicious and panicked manner, unless she had been made aware of something that nobody else had. 

David glanced back towards the toilet, and turned back to his children for a second more. He clenched his jaw and swallowed, but the nagging feeling in the back of his brain refused to silence. 

_ ‘For fucks’ sake’ _, he thought.

David turned to the seats on the other side of the gangway where a boy- no, man, almost definitely a man despite the snapback and winged _ Adidas _ trainers, was sitting hunched over his phone. 

“Excuse me,” David leaned towards the other man as he spoke, and watched as his head suddenly shot upwards. If it wasn’t for the mild sense of panic and adrenaline surging through his veins, and the mantra of _ something’swrongsomething’swrongsomething’swrong _that wouldn’t leave his brain, he would’ve been stumbling over his words at just how… pretty this man was. But alas, his attention was direly needed elsewhere.

“You wouldn’t mind looking after my kids for a minute, would ye? I’ll be right back.”

David watched the man’s eyes fall over to where Charlie and Ella were currently napping in their train seats, before he quickly straightened up in his place, winged feet falling to the floor from where they had been resting on top of the seat opposite him. 

“Yeah, ‘course bruv, no problem.” The man had a polite, almost-grin on his face, and it infected David in a warm way he knew wasn’t really appropriate, especially considering the current situation, but he returned it despite how awkward it made his face feel. 

“Thank you very much. I’ll be right back.” David gave him a solid nod before he hoisted himself out of his seat urgently and began to take quick strides to where he had seen the train conductor exit.

-

David could hear his pounding heartbeat echoing in his ears, his fingers twitching in a way that only came when he was anticipating a high-risk situation. He was pretty sure normal people would feel an intense amount of dread or panic or _ something _ that told them to run away from the danger, but David hadn’t been a normal person for years. 

Passing a young mother and her baby, David kept his head low and body relaxed as he stepped closer and closer towards where he knew something- some_ one _ was waiting and brewing and preparing themselves to ruin dozens, if not hundreds of people’s lives. He’d been in some of the worst situations a person could possibly be in, first hand war experience would assure you that, and he was only too aware of how death and trauma could ruin more lives than those directly affected. 

When he got to the quartet of seats his children were sleeping peacefully in, so innocent and vulnerable, David felt a cold slap on panic grip at his throat. His children were here. His _ babies _. 

He couldn’t stop the quick release of air from his mouth as he stared at their sweet faces, and took a quick glance down the aisle, back at the mother and baby he had passed that had no idea how much danger they could potentially be in.

_ ‘Fuck_’.

David turned quickly back to the lad that he’d trusted his kids to only a few minutes ago. His hat was off now, sitting on the speckled grey table next to his phone. He had turned sideways to face Charlie and Ella, and if David had had the mental clarity to recognise the gesture for what it was (caring, protective, and serious, despite David not knowing the bloke from Tom, Dick or Harry) he would have thanked him a million times over. Unfortunately, he was rather preoccupied. 

“I need a few more minutes, is that alright?” 

The man watched him for a beat, and David felt a prickling sensation start over his forearms and his intense gaze.

“Is everythin’ alright? You seem kinda… out of it.”

David’s eyebrows rose in astonishment, mouth opening to give some kind of response but not saying a word. He wasn’t used to people being so up front with him, _ about _ him, especially strangers on a train that he’d only talked to because he didn't want to leave his kids unattended.

“I, uh…” David croaked out. His mind was screaming at him, telling him to _ get a fucking move on you’re on a time limit _, but he couldn’t get his body to co-operate when it was struck dumb by some random bloke just asking how he was. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just got some business I need to take care of. Sorry, uh, for bothering ye with this.”

The man’s eyes widened just slightly with a blink. “What? Nah mate, it’s all good, swear down.” His half-grin was back, and David’s jaw clenched. “They’re no bother, seem like sweet kids.”

David watched as he glanced back towards where Ella and Charlie were sleeping with a fond look on his face, and David felt the tiniest bit of tension loosen from his spine. It seemed like his kids were in good hands, at the very least. 

“Yeah, they are.” David spoke quietly in agreement, but quickly broke himself from the moment. “Uh, sorry, I’ve just got to-” David motioned down the carriage and waited until he got a pleasant nod from the bloke before he started on his quick walk towards the doors that separate the carriages from each other, and that also happened to lead to one of the only toilets on board.

-

_ “... and would all passengers in carriage C please make your way immediately into carriages B and A.” _

Eggsy looked up at the sound of the announcement as if he would be able to see some kind of explanation floating in the air above his head. He glanced around quickly as other passengers, with confused and hesitant looks on their faces that likely matched the one on his own, began to stand and collect their belongings. Eggsy stood up, flumbling to shove his phone in his front pocket and throw his snapback on his head, before he glanced down at the two children he had been asked to watch over. 

_ ‘Well what now?’ _ he thought to himself and he craned his neck up to see if he could spot their Dad. There was no charming blue eyes or grey streak in sight. _ ‘Surely he’d come back for ‘em?’ _

Eggsy hovered for a moment, bending out of the way of other passengers who’d began shuffling towards the designated carriages, before gritting his teeth and huffing out a sigh through his nose. That guy had to have heard the announcement, right?

After one final, fruitless look down the train, Eggsy crouched down next to the young girl first and shook her shoulder gently. 

“‘Scuse me? Hey, you need to wake up.” He spoke calmly. He waited until she was clearly starting the rise before turning and doing the same for the little boy. 

“What’s going on? Where’s daddy?” 

Eggsy turned back to the girl who had spoken, and quickly crouched down to grab the bag and coat that was lying in a small pile by her feet. 

“He said he ‘ad to go take care of somethin’ real quick and asked me to watch you two while he did, but the announcement jus’ said we gotta move to a different carriage.” He explained quickly while helping the boy to his feet, bending to get a hold of his coat too when it fell to the ground. Luckily, he seemed to be keeping a pretty firm hold on his toy rabbit. 

“Is he going to be there too?”

“Uh... yeah, maybe. Might’ve had to go into the front one if he was by ‘em.” He explained as he tried to shepard them out the best he could. Luckily, the girl seemed to be more distracted by finding and holding on to her brother’s hand than asking any more questions, but Eggsy doubted that distraction would last much longer. 

After one last look at where the man had headed, he adjusted the multi-coloured backpack he had tossed over his shoulder and put a hand on either of the kids’ backs in an attempt to keep them nearby as they shuffled down the train with the rest of the confused passengers. 

-

“You know the drill, we’ll get in contact if we need anything more from you. There should be a car down the road that can escort you and your family home if you need it.”

David gave a sharp wave to the young PO who had been writing his statement and information down, before spinning quickly to walk towards the roadside where he had been told the passengers had been evacuated to. He’d been working through paperwork and statements for over an hour and had spent the entire time being antsy and wondering where the hell his kids where, and if they were safe, still with that lad he had trusted them to. 

He hopped up the steps that led to the public pavement and immediately began scanning through the leftover crowd to try and spot his kids. There weren’t a whole lot of people still there, most passengers on the train hadn’t even seen Nadia nor her husband so they didn’t have much of a statement to give, but that didn’t make locating two small kids in a dark sea of strangers' clothing any easier. 

“Daddy!” 

David spun on his heel as he heard a wonderfully familiar girl’s voice call out. He felt his shoulders loosen out of a tenseness he’d barely been aware he was still carrying at the sight of Ella’s hair in space buns. She was bounding towards him as quickly as she could, which was barely more than a walk with her tiny legs and obvious drowsiness. Charlie, being dragged along by his big sister’s hand, looked to be almost dead on his feet. 

“There you two are!” David called in relief. He half-ran towards them and quickly knelt on the cold asphalt so that they could bundle up against his chest. “God, m’so glad you guys are okay.” He murmured against their foreheads, pressing kisses there as he did. He knew that they had gotten off the train with everyone else during the evacuation, he’d watched carefully as that guy _ -Eggsy _, his brain helpfully supplied to him- bundled them up quickly and hurried them away to safety, but you never really knew until you had them back in your arms again, all in one piece.

“Daddy, what happened? They’re saying someone was trying to hurt us, is that true? Daddy, what happened?”

After one last inhale of their scent and quick rub over both their coat-covered shoulders, David stood on surprisingly shaky legs. He tucked them close, half listening to Ella’s questioning whilst Charlie stayed quiet, but clung close. 

“I’ll tell ye as much as I can on the drive home, okay sweetheart? Just wait till then, it’s late and I need to get yous back home.”

“Everythin’ turn out okay then?”

David’s head snapped up from where he had been focusing on Ella and Charlie, to the chap standing a few metres away from them. Eggsy had an odd look on his face, a weird mix of awkward and fond, and David couldn’t help the smile it brought to his own face. He could still feel his hands shaking, pulse still pumping away despite the hours since the action, but at least he knew that here, there was safety, for his kids if not anyone else.

“Ah, yeah. As okay as this kind of situation can be, anyway.” With Charlie’s arms wrapped around his leg and Ella clinging tightly to his sleeve, David couldn’t really move close enough to the other man to shake his hand, or give him a pat on the shoulder, or anything that would perhaps show how grateful he was while his words continued to fail him.

“I guess that’s a good thing then.” Eggsy’s responding grin was small and wry, but nice and genuine, which David hugely appreciated. He had a really nice smile. “I should probably get goin’. They’ve organised some kinda coach for the rest of us so I don’t wanna keep ‘em waitin’ too much longer.”

David watched Eggsy reach up to pull a bag off of his shoulder. It took a few moments for him to realise it was Ella’s multi-coloured backpack Eggsy had been carrying awkwardly over one shoulder, too small for anyone fully grown to look natural with.

“Oh, here, let me-”

“I put his toy rabbit inside it a bit ago. He was sleepy ‘nd I didn’t want ‘im to drop it or anythin’-”

“Of course, thank you so much. For all of this.”

David took the bag with his only free hand and watched Eggsy tug on his snapback for a second, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. It was dark, and the streetlights gave everything a sickly yellow tinge, but it was clear to David that Eggsy must’ve been pretty cold, standing there for hours in what looked like only a polo shirt and a bomber jacket. The tip of his nose looked tinted pink, a flush that carried around his cheeks and lit up his ears. 

“Do you want a lift home?”

Eggsy’s eyebrows shot up his forehead, and David hurried to explain. “M’pretty sure the police car has enough space for another body if you need it.”

Eggsy’s expression warmed immediately, the colour of his eyes (a colour David couldn’t have identified, not even in the decent lighting of that train carriage) darkening in a squint as he grinned loosely. 

“Nah, m’good bruv.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, m’kinda lookin’ forward to the longer journey ‘ome.”

David’s brow furrowed at the odd sentence, but he shrugged and let it go easily enough.

“If ye sure then.”

“Yeah, absolutely.” David watched Eggsy take a few steps back and half-turn. “Just focus on gettin’ ‘em little mites to bed.” He followed Eggsy’s nod down to Ella and Charlie who were still wrapped around his limbs, standing half-asleep and wobbling drowsily. He smiled at the sight.

When he looked up, Eggsy had turned and started walking in the direction that a few of the other stragglers were headed. David opened his mouth for a moment, before shutting it with a click of his jaw. Suppose there wasn’t really much more to say, was there?

“Thanks again!” David yelled, uselessly and annoyed at himself for the unusual lack of restraint in his part. He saw Eggsy spin to face David and the kids, walking backwards as he did so.

Eggsy didn’t say anything back, just grinned and waved. He was decently far away now, but David swore he saw a cheeky wink thrown his way that had him swallowing around a lump in his throat. When Eggsy turned back around again, David watched as he began a jog into the distance.

“Daddy, when are we going home? I’m tired.”

David looked back at his young daughter, who was rubbing at her eyes sleepily in a way that sent David’s heart racing with love for his sweet, lovely children.

“We’re going now, okay sweetie?” David brought the backpack over his own shoulder, and crouched down quickly to wrap his arms around Charlie, before housting him up into his side to carry him securely. Once he was situated, he returned his other hand down to Ella for her to cling to. He began to usher them down towards where a car was waiting for the three of them. Despite her obvious drowsiness, Ella could and would always be able to talk for England.

“That man was really nice! He let us play with his phone.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. And he had wings on his feet.”

David grinned at her surprisingly accurate wording. “That he did.”

“Do you know him? Can we see him again Daddy?”

He shook his head. “Probably not Ella, I only met him tonight.” He did his best to ignore the prick of, not sadness, but disappointment at the knowledge that this was very true.

“Oh. Okay then.”

“M’sorry.”

“It’s okay. He was really nice.”

David sighed and smiled as the PO opened the car door for them. Tonight had truly been a stinking pile of shit, but there would always be those silver linings.

“Yeah, he was."

**Author's Note:**

> i've done a disturbing amount of research just for this fic, and i really hope no one looks into my browser history because i will have a LOT to answer for ayy
> 
> please feel free to leave your kudos and comments for me to squeal over! i have the next part of this series planned out but not written, and trust me when i say they really do help a whole bunch for motivation.


End file.
